Collectors & Collections

Ken Hawley was a remarkable tool collector who assembled an impressive tool collection, the Hawley Collection. As stated on the web site created for the Hawley Tool Collection, http://www.hawleytoolcollection.com/, Ken Hawley "collected the tools, the 'tools that made the tools', catalogues, photographs and information connected with the Sheffield tool, cutlery and silversmithing industries". The Hawley Collection comprises over 100,000 items and is now presented in a manner that showcases not only the tools themselves but also how they were made.

During his working life, including thirty years selling tools in his own shop in Sheffield, he acquired an unrivalled knowledge about Sheffield's industrial heritage. It was Ken Hawley's wish that the Hawley Collection stay in Sheffield to provide exhibitions, displays and information for the people of Sheffield and visitors to the city. He saw the Collection as a tribute to the craftsmanship, skills and excellence displayed over the centuries by Sheffield firms and workpeople. The Collection is now housed at Kelham Island Museum in Sheffield, England.

Fortunately, before his death in 2010, Ken Hawley featured in a series on videos explaining aspects of both tools and his own life. The various videos capture the passion Ken Hawley had for tools , their manufacture and use so take the time to watch. We have incorparated the videos here for your convenience but we recommend you visit the Hawley Tool Collection web site for more information, particularly if you have the opportunity to visit.